The 9-11 health scam

NY Post Editorial:

All the rhetoric about health crises affecting Ground Zero workers post-9/11 has finally been put to a fact test.

And the data tell a different story.

For years, this page has been warning that the no-questions-asked benefits demanded by such as Sen. Hillary Clinton and Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Jerrold Nadler for anyone claiming a 9/11-related illness were an invitation to fraud.

Sure enough, that's the case. And the cost to taxpayers could run into the billions.

Lawyers defending the city against a mass lawsuit say that a detailed review of medical records for nearly 10,000 litigants (of the 40,000 people who worked at Ground Zero) shows that 30 percent only have nominal health issues.

And 306 have admitted openly that they have no past or current health problems.

As for those who do claim a 9/11-related health problem, the list of illnesses includes things like Bell's palsy, elevated blood sugar, hepatitis and psoriasis - none of which could have any connection to the terrorist attacks.

Moreover, the city's analysis shows, others "claim to be suffering from cancers with established latency periods of 10 years or longer - so long they could not have been caused by environmental exposures as recent as 9/11."

And many of those claiming serious problems with a direct connection to 9/11 are refusing to provide medical records to back up their claims, or have submitted documents that are "scattered" and have "large time gaps."

...

This has become too common in class action litigation where people join in hopes of getting a piece of the litigation lottery. The silicosis cases have been plagued by massive fraud and teh fraud in the 9-11 cases may approach that scale. You have to question the legal ethics of attorneys who would assist in filing such obviously bogus claims. Perhaps it is time for a class action before the bar ethics panel.